The Unexpected Path
by Kokonoa Faela
Summary: Vallen has been living on her own for many years, hiding from the demons in her past. Until a meddling wizard reenters her life and offers her a chance to seek the revenge she has desired for a long time. For a price, of course. Will she tolerate having to protect the company of Thorin Oakenshield? Or will she be driven mad by the infuriating arrogance of the dwarven prince?
1. Chapter 1

**I suppose there should be some sort of disclaimer here. Alright, fine! Kokonoa & Faela solemly swear that we do not own The Hobbit, nor any of the characters created by Tolkien and Peter Jackson. Yet...**

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**Chapter 1**

_Look for my signal upon the door_, Gandalf had said before. The hobbit hole had been easy enough to find. After all, Bag End was famous in Hobbiton, being set in one of the highest hills in the Shire.

Hobbiton had not changed a great deal from the last time Vallen had seen it, and that had been at least a century ago. Yet, this time she hadn't returned to wander and seek a new temporary home. She had returned for a purpose.

Vallen released a short sigh of irritation. It was not too late to turn back. The forest surrounding the Blue Mountains had kept her hidden safely for many a year. Yet, somehow, the meddling wizard had managed to find her there, and he had managed to convince her to leave her safe haven and join in this mad quest.

The circular green door loomed over the road up ahead on its perch on the Hill. Bright blue runes shone out into the darkness. _Burglar wants a job, plenty of excitement and reasonable reward. _It didn't necessarily seem encouraging to Vallen, but she had made up her mind. She had come all this way, and now was not the time to reconsider. That time had long since passed.

Slowly, Vallen reached up and rang the doorbell. A moment later, a slightly flustered hobbit opened the door and froze. Standing in his pajamas and a robe, and gaping at her, he had to have been the most unprepared looking host Vallen had ever seen. For a split second, Vallen wondered if she had come to the right place, but then the loud voices and the scent of dwarves reached her, and her doubt quickly faded. Gandalf, being the odd creature that he was, had probably not told the hobbit that there were going to be thirteen dwarves and herself on his doorstep that night.

A small yet polite smile spread on Vallen's face and she inclined her head in a slight bow. There was no reason not to be civil. Especially since the poor hobbit seemed to have absolutely no idea what was occurring, or what was about to occur.

"Greetings, Mr. Baggins," she said. Her voice seemed to have snapped him out of his daze, and he jumped ever so slightly.

"Good evening," he squeaked.

"Yes, I suppose it is. Perfect for a gathering of eleven more dwarves," Vallen replied slyly, and then strode past the pale and confused hobbit and into the entry hall. "And a wizard," she added over her shoulder, almost as an after-thought.

"_More_ dwarves?! What do you mean?" Mr. Baggins yelped. Vallen rolled her eyes underneath her hood and continued walking. The hobbit trailed behind, spouting off questions and complaints, all of which were ignored. The two dwarves Vallen had sensed were busy examining the mold on a wedge of blue cheese, and they did not notice her before she ducked into the nearby sitting room.

The doorbell rang again, drawing Mr. Baggins away from Vallen and back towards the door. He swung the door open, and there in the doorway, stood two of the most attractive dwarves Vallen had seen in a while. They were as different looking as night and day. One was blond, blue-eyed, and he carried himself like a prince. The other was dark haired, brown-eyed, and he had an overly cheerful and excited countenance that reminded Vallen of a puppy. Yet despite these differences, they appeared to be closely related.

"Fili," the blonde one began. "And Kili," the dark one ended.

"At your service!" they both cried as they bowed in unison.

"You must be Mr. Boggins!" Kili greeted, a bright smile on his face.

Apparently, Mr. Baggins wasn't too pleased that there were two more visitors on his doorstep, and he then proceeded to slam the door in their faces, claiming that they had come to the wrong house. The dark-haired one, Kili, quickly pushed the door back open. The look of panic and utter heartbreak that had replaced his bright smile almost made Vallen chuckle. Dwarves were so easy to read at times.

"What! It hasn't been canceled, has it?" Kili asked, almost pleadingly.

"No one told us," his brother, Fili, added. He did not appear as emotionally affected as Kili.

"Cancelled? No, nothing's been cancelled!" Mr. Baggins replied, confusion was evident on his face.

"Well that's a relief!" Kili exclaimed excitedly, pushing his way past Mr. Baggins and into the entry hall, closely followed by Fili.

At this point, Vallen had decided that she had seen enough and she retreated into a shadowy corner of the sitting room. It would cause only unnecessary questions if she was seen by the dwarves before Gandalf arrived. Questions that Vallen was not sure she could answer. Until then, it was best to stay out of sight, and that was no problem. Vallen was good at hiding. She had been doing it for a long, long time.

There was a small, padded stool next to a desk that was covered with maps and drawings strewn haphazardly all over. Vallen pulled the stool away from the desk and drew it into the corner, and there she sat. Drawing her dark cloak about herself and pulling up her hood, the dark-haired woman was practically invisible to all but the most eyes.

In the other rooms, Vallen could hear the dwarves moving about and talking amongst themselves, ignoring their host's flustered objections. The doorbell rang again. Apparently the prospect of more visitors seemed to enrage the poor hobbit, if his shouting as he padded over to the door was any indication.

The sounds of hinges creaking as a door opened quickly, bodies falling heavily against each other, and the annoyed groans of several people reached Vallen's sensitive ears. She stood up, curious as to what had transpired, and sneaked a glance into the hallway. The scent of several sweaty dwarves attacked her nose when she began to peek around the corner, and she grimaced ever so slightly.

There, on the doormat, lying on top of each other in a huge dog pile were the other dwarves, minus one. And behind the writhing pile of bodies, stood the grey wizard in the pointed hat. The comical sight tugged at the corners of Vallen's mouth, bringing a faint smile to her lips.

"Gandalf!" Mr. Baggins exclaimed, his tone held a small note of relief but it was overshadowed with irritation as well.

It did not take long for the dwarves to recover from their fall. Once they did, they joined the others in the pantry and dining room, barely acknowledging their host and failing to notice Vallen, as she strode past them, towards Gandalf.

The old wizard, having been the only one who knew of Vallen's arrival, brightened up at the sight of her and exclaimed:

"Ah, Vallen! How fortunate for you to show up - I was almost afraid you would change your mind!" He laughed nervously, and Vallen could detect the same hint of fear and confusion in his voice as the first time they had met. Gandalf had never come across her kind before, and therefore he was not entirely sure how to act or speak in her presence. The fact that her mysterious nature brought slight fear to the heart of a powerful wizard filled Vallen with satisfaction, but she swallowed her pride and scowled at him.

"You didn't tell the hobbit about the meeting," she said, as he entered the home and took off his hat.

"Well, no." Gandalf replied. "I thought it best to wait until all the dwarves have arrived and the meeting has begun. I would prefer to explain everything, then, if that is alright with you."

"This is not really _my_ quest, it is the dwarves'. I don't care what you plan, as long as it will take us to our destination. But you could have at least told Mr. Baggins that he would be having more visitors than usual this evening." A slight smirk appeared on her lips and she gazed in Bilbo's direction. "He seems somewhat...distressed."

The wizard laughed again, a real laugh this time, and answered, "He will understand in good time. Everything shall be explained once the meeting has started. The same goes for you, Vallen. But first, the table must be set, and...are all the dwarves here?"

As the dwarves hurried about, getting the food and setting the table, with Bilbo all the while telling them to "put that back!", Vallen got to know each of their names, for Gandalf said their names as he saw them, counting on his fingers. Finally, he said, "We seem to be one dwarf short."

"I'm surprised you can keep track of this rabble." Vallen said, stepping to the side to let one of the dwarves carrying a plate of turkey on his head pass by. Vallen remembered Gandalf having called him Bofur.

"Who're you?" Bofur asked, stopping in the middle of the room. Before Vallen could reply, another dwarf, carrying four blocks of cheese, walked straight into Bofur and they both fell to the ground in an explosion of food.

"I think I will just have a seat until things have become more organized." she mumbled, casting one last amused glance at the grumbling dwarves on the ground and then headed back to her corner.

"Are you certain, my dear?" Gandalf asked. "You could join in the festivities."

Vallen shook her head gently. "I'd rather not. But thank you for the offer, nonetheless."

The rest went by like a blur. Bilbo became more disgruntled by the minute, and none of the dwarves paid him any heed. Finally, Vallen saw both Bilbo and Gandalf leaving the chaotic dining room, with Bilbo complaining about what the dwarves had done with his home in this short time. She tried to listen in on what he was saying, but she couldn't concentrate, for there was a thumping coming from the dining room and it was increasing in volume. Then she could hear the sound of metal clinking and she quickly realized that the dwarves were trying to make musical beat with some sort of metallic object. Most likely the kitchen utensils. She had a feeling that a song would follow. Dwarves had a tendency to do just about everything with a song.

Curious, she stood up and quietly walked over to the doorway, peeking inside just as Bilbo stuttered at Bofur: "A-and c-can you not do that? You'll blunt them!"

"Ooh! Did you hear that, lads? He says we'll blunt the _knives_!" Came the dwarf's mocking reply, and that was when Vallen's suspicion was proven correct, and the dwarves broke into song, all the while flinging dishes throughout the halls. Vallen was not very much surprised by this, nor was she at all concerned. Dwarves have excellent hand-eye coordination. But judging from the look of utter terror on Bilbo's face, he did not know that.

"_Blunt the knives, bend the forks!_

_Smash the bottles and burn the corks!_

_Chip the glasses and crack the plates!_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates -_

_Cut the cloth, tread the fat!_

_Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!_

_Pour the milk on the pantry floor!_

_Splash the wine on every door!_

_Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl;_

_Pound them up with a thumping pole;_

_When you've finished, if any are whole,_

_Send them down the hall to roll!_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_"

The dwarves finished their unusual song with a great deal of laughter. Every bowl, cup, and plate had been cleaned and were all neatly stacked on the dining room table. As she watched the merry dwarves, a genuine smile of amusement spread across her face for the first time in a long while. She had a feeling she wouldn't mind travelling with these people. Not one bit.

Suddenly, a loud knocking came from the front door, and the dwarves quickly became quiet, casting nervous gazes towards the door. Vallen used the momentary silence to listen. The loud thumps of a strong heartbeat emanated from the other side of the door.

"He is here." Gandalf announced in a dramatic whisper. In any other circumstance, Vallen would have rolled her eyes at his tone. She almost did, in fact, but she was stopped by her curiosity over who stood outside.

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**A/N: For those of you who have ventured thus far and are interested. This story is being written by two people, the Crazen Kokonoa and the Eccentric Faela. Because of that, it might take a while to update our chapters because we do a great deal of revising and editing. And it takes a while.**

**Anyway, both of us would like to encourage you to review our story and tell us your opinion. Constructive criticism is welcome, but not flames. Please guys! Life is too short for hate.**

**And by the way, feel free to guess what Vallen is. (Hint: She's not human)**


	2. Chapter 2

**I suppose there should be some sort of disclaimer here. Alright, fine! Kokonoa & Faela solemly swear that we do not own The Hobbit, nor any of the characters created by Tolkien and Peter Jackson. Yet...**

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**Chapter 2**

Vallen glanced from her hiding place at the round, green door with curiosity. The dwarves got up from their seats and followed Gandalf into the hallway. Gandalf swung open the door, all the while blocking Vallen's view of the person on the other side. Curiosity drove her to move out of her hiding place and get a better view. She slipped in amongst the company of dwarves, standing next to the one named Bofur. No one seemed to notice her presence.

"Gandalf," a deep, baritone called out in greeting. Vallen's eyes narrowed at the sound. Something about it was oddly familiar.

Gandalf moved aside to reveal a rather tall dwarf with long, black hair, a cropped short beard, and pale blue eyes. He was handsome, Vallen noted. Very handsome. There was an aura of strength and pride about him that made him look like a prince. _No_. A king.

Vallen found herself staring at the handsome dwarf for perhaps a little longer than was necessary. She shook her head lightly, snapping herself out of her momentary daze. Vallen noticed that the dwarf had begun to speak again.

"You said this place would be easy to find," he said to Gandalf as he removed his travelling cloak, revealing a heavy fur coat underneath. "I lost my way twice. I would not have found it at all, had it not been for that mark on the door."

"There's no mark on that door! I had it painted a week ago!" Mr. Baggins protested loudly, moving to shut the door.

Gandalf cleared his throat, looking somewhat uncomfortable. "There is a mark. I put it there myself," he confessed with a sheepish smile. "Allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

A rather unattractive snort echoed throughout the hallway, immediately drawing the dwarves' attention to the dark-haired woman in the background. Vallen ignored the shocked looks from the other dwarves who, until then, had no idea that she was even there. Whispers of "where did she come from?" were heard about the room in varying forms.

"So, the leader of a large company of dwarves gets lost in one of the most easy-to-navigate places in all of Middle Earth? Twice?" Vallen drawled. "I can already tell that this quest is going to end well." Any fool would have noticed the small barb in her sarcastic words. The test had begun.

Thorin turned his piercing gaze on Vallen. A flash of anger appeared in his pale blue eyes as he studied her for a moment. Now, normally Vallen was not a very self-conscious person. In fact, most of the time she could care less if she was naked or not. But as those sharp eyes sized her up, Vallen felt slightly uncomfortable. And she did not like that feeling one bit.

"And who in Durin's name are you?" Thorin boomed at her. Vallen's narrowed eyes flickered over to Gandalf. Somehow she wasn't surprised that he had not told any of the dwarves of her joining their quest. But that did not stop her from being just a little annoyed about it.

"Thorin, I would like to introduce an old friend of mine. This is Vallen," said Gandalf, motioning to her as he spoke. "She will be going with us on our journey."

Out of the corner of her eye, Vallen saw Bilbo's head snap up at the mention of a "journey". He looked as if he were about to say something, but thought better of it and shut his mouth. Vallen made a mental note to possibly befriend him if he came along. Hobbits were a lot more intelligent than they let on. And after travelling with a group of thirteen dwarves for several weeks, Vallen knew she would be absolutely starved of intellectually stimulating conversation. She was already starved, come to think of it.

Thorin scoffed, causing Vallen's attention to snap back to him. He crossed his arms and glared imperiously at her. Vallen noted that that action made his broad shoulders more prominent looking. Wait, why was she staring at his shoulders? Vallen mentally slapped herself for letting her attention stray. Again. She was bored. That must be it.

"I do not allow young girls on missions of this importance," he stated firmly. Vallen bristled at the phrase 'young girl', her normally dormant temper rose a little bit.

"It is far too dangerous for her. Not to mention that she will only slow us down."

And with that, he turned away from her as if he had dismissed her from his sight. Vallen's face felt hot and she glared murderously at Thorin. She took a step forward to intercept him, only to feel a firm hand on her shoulder. Vallen glanced up to see Gandalf giving her a warning look. A look that clearly told her to hold her tongue.

Every instinct in her body told Vallen to beat the living daylights out of the dwarf prince. She could do it easily, too. Dwarves, for all their physical prowess and hardiness, were no match for her, or any of her kind for that matter.

Vallen unclenched her fists, stepping back, and allowed herself the mental image of tearing the dwarf's heart out of his chest. The brutal thought sated her anger. For now, at least.

"So, this is the hobbit." Bilbo's posture became ramrod straight as he pulled himself to his full height. This, compared the dwarf king, was not much.

"Tell me Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?" Thorin inquired, arms crossed as he walked around the hobbit, surveying him.

"I beg your pardon?!" Bilbo squeaked, eyes wide with confusion. Idly, Vallen wondered how long it would be before he figured it out.

Thorin took no notice of his outburst and continued his questioning. "Axe or sword? What's your weapon of choice?"

"Well, I have some skill at conkers, if you must know," Bilbo replied, a little mockingly. However, one look at the unimpressed expression on Thorin's face caused the balloon in the hobbit's chest to deflate. "Though I fail to see w-why that's relevant."

"Thought as much." Thorin turned slightly to send his next comment towards the others. "He looks more like a _grocer_ than a burglar."

Chuckles sprang up all over the room from the other dwarves. Vallen rolled her eyes at Thorin's obvious jab at the poor hobbit, who was now looking even more confused than ever. Thorin ignored Bilbo and moved to join the rest of his companions in the dining room.

Once he and his companions had left the hallway, Vallen noticed that Gandalf had dropped his friendly smile and was looking rather tired. She could hardly blame him. After all, this Thorin Oakenshield seemed like a total nightmare to be around. Barely two minutes after first meeting him, and she had been ready to tear out his throat.

Vallen groaned internally. She was _not _looking forward to travelling with the dwarf.

"Well that went well," Gandalf said with a sigh.

Vallen raised her eyebrows at the wizard in disbelief. "'Young girl'?" she growled at him. Gandalf's eyes twinkled in amusement as he leaned against the wall. "How dare he? I should be calling him 'young boy'. Not the other way around!"

"That may be true, but honestly, how could he have known your age surpasses his?" Gandalf said with a smile. "Although, by your people's standards you still are very young."

She sent him a scathing look. "Don't remind me."

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"What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?" the Dwarf, Balin, asked Thorin once everyone had settled.

Vallen had grabbed a stool and sat herself in the corner behind Gandalf, not quite hiding – they already knew she was there – but to stay at a safe distance where she could simply watch and observe. Her sharp eyes scanned the company with the faintest trace of boredom. Long meetings had never been her favorite to sit through, but she knew that there was important information to be gleaned.

Bilbo did not sit down with the dwarves either, instead, he nervously had placed himself near Vallen, right behind Gandalf, shortly after handing the Dwarf prince a bowl of soup. Vallen was slightly surprised; she would have thought that, as the prince of the Dwarves, his eating habits would be the same as the rest of his people. Most of the dwarven nobility were not very different from the commoners, in terms of table manners. Yet, there he was, quietly sipping his soup like a true noble. It still did not change her opinion of him much, however.

Thorin nodded. "Aye. Envoys from all seven kingdoms."

"All of them!" Balin exclaimed as the other Dwarves laughed and cheered at the good news. The only Dwarf who didn't seem delighted about the news was Dwalin, who, with a hint of impatience, inquired: "And what did the Dwarves of the Iron Hills say?" The room immediately became silent as they awaited Thorin's answer. "Is Dain with us?"

Thorin gave a sigh, as if he dreaded giving the answer. "They will not come," he said finally.

A murmur of disapproval and disappointment came from the Dwarves, while Vallen frowned in the background. The Dwarves of the Iron Hills had always been strong allies to their Erebor kin. However, it did not surprise her that they intended to sit this one out. It was almost impossible to convince the Dwarves to willingly leave their mountains, even if it was for their own kin.

"They say this quest is ours and ours alone."

After a moment of shocked silence, Bilbo's voice could be heard coming from the corner. "You're going on a quest?"

Gandalf, having quite forgotten about the hobbit during the discussion, said with a cheerful tone, "Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light." And while the Hobbit retrieved another candle, Gandalf pulled out a small, parchment map. A flash of silvery light caught Vallen's eye, and she silently raised an eyebrow. _Moonrunes? How interesting._

"Far to the east, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single, solitary peak." Gandalf laid the map on the table and gestured to a sketch of a mountain. Vallen leaned forward to get a better look. A red dragon had been fancily drawn at the top of the map. Vallen smirked humorlessly at the depiction. He did not look nearly as elegant as that in real life.

"'The Lonely Mountain'," Bilbo read aloud, peeking over Vallen's shoulder while holding a candle over the map.

Gloin impatiently raised his voice. 'Aye, Oin has read the portents and the portents say it is time!"

"Ravens have been seen flying back to the Mountain, as it was foretold," Oin informed everyone. "'When the birds of yore return to the Erebor, the reign of the beast will end.'"

Bilbo, having gone in the pantry and overheard only the last part, turned to Oin and asked, "Uh, what beast?"

Vallen winced, feeling sorry for the little Hobbit. He did not seem the type to undergo a mission of this amount of stress and danger. And yet, he was practically being dragged into a long quest with a group of dwarves, far away from his home, to a fallen kingdom inhabited by a dragon. And not just any dragon.

Bofur immediately spoke up, as casually as if he were announcing the weather. "That would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age."

Everyone, including Vallen, listened with grave expressions on their faces, for Smaug was indeed a calamity, and not only to the Dwarves. Vallen bristled at the mentioning of his name, even though it wasn't his real one.

Bofur continued, though, as Vallen watched him, she wasn't quite sure if his intention was to accurately describe the dragon, or whether he was trying to frighten Bilbo. She guessed it was probably the latter. "Airborne fire-breather. Teeth like razors, and claws like meat hooks. Extremely fond of precious metal-"

"Yes, I know what a dragon is," Bilbo interrupted finally, having heard enough.

Suddenly, a chair could be heard being scraped back. Vallen turned to see the youngest Dwarf, Ori, standing up, crying, "I'm not afraid! I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of Dwarfish iron right up his jacksie!"

Most of the Dwarves praised him and cheered. Vallen smiled sadly. _The_ _boy wouldn't even stand a chance. None of them would._

"This task would be difficult enough with an army behind us," Balin said, proving the point of Vallen's unspoken comment. "But we number just thirteen. And not thirteen of the best, nor brightest," he added ruefully.

Shouts of disapproval filled the room, and, after a moment, Fili raised his voice. "We may be few in number, but we're fighters. All of us, to the last Dwarf!"

"And you forget, we have a Wizard in our company," Kili added with enthusiasm. "Gandalf must have killed hundreds of dragons in his time!" Vallen's ears perked up slightly at this, and she silently scooted closer to the table, in between Gandalf and Thorin. This would be amusing.

Gandalf immediately replied nervously with, "Oh, well, now. I wouldn't say-"

"How many, then?" Dori interrupted him.

"What?" Gandalf asked, sure he had misunderstood.

"How many dragons have you killed?" Dori persisted. Vallen coughed inconspicuously and fixed Gandalf with a warning glare to the back of his head. Gandalf, noticing Vallen's cough, turned to catch her eye and looked away immediately after noticing her glare. Not sure how to reply and slightly panicked, Gandalf coughed and small rings of pipe smoke drifted out of the sides of his mouth.

"Go on. Give us a number!" Dori demanded. Suddenly, all the other Dwarves began shouting at each other, arguing with each other about whether or not Gandalf had actually killed a dragon. Vallen rolled her eyes and snickered quietly, scooting back into her corner just as Gandalf sighed and became less tense. _Dwarves._

Thorin, just now noticing her presence, turned and fixed Vallen with a glare that screamed at her to leave. She met his piercing gaze with an unaffected smirk and tilted her head towards Gandalf, hoping he'd get the message. He seemed to, for he hesitantly switched his questioning glare from Vallen to Gandalf. Gandalf didn't appear to notice.

The arguing continued on for several moments and became increasingly annoying, to the point where Vallen was about to scream at them all to shut up. She didn't need to.

"ENOUGH!" Thorin's bellowing roar effectively ended their bickering. The Dwarves sat back in their seats, staring at him with stunned expressions on their faces. Vallen smirked. _Not bad._

"Do you not think that if we have read these signs, others will have read them too?" Thorin continued with a hint of reproach in his tone, as if he were scolding small children. "Rumors have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen in sixty years. Eyes look to the Mountain, assessing, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth lies unprotected. Do we sit back, while others take what's rightfully ours?" He paused for a moment, eyes meeting the ones of his companions. "Or do we seize this chance to TAKE BACK EREBOR?!"

At that last question, all the Dwarves, save Balin, rushed to their feet, shouting their approval and protesting at the idea of doing nothing. Vallen stared at Thorin with veiled curiosity. Silently, her sharp eyes took in every visible detail, from the small scars on his hands to the rich, yet worn, clothes he was wearing. His stance was strong, the posture of a man who held great authority. He was a king. There was little doubt in Vallen's mind about that. Yet, underneath the detached, kingly visage, a small flicker of rage and pain lit his eyes as he spoke.

A new picture was beginning to take form in Vallen's mind, different from the one she had received earlier. _Interesting._

"You forget that the front gate is sealed!" Balin exclaimed over the din of chaos that only a group of Dwarves could create. "There is no way into the Mountain."

Vallen noted Gandalf silently reaching into his robes to retrieve a small object. His hand closed about it before she could have a clear look.

"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true," Gandalf spoke quietly, bringing the object forward into plain view. It was a key, carved in the strange, geometric designs that the Dwarves used for everything.

Vallen felt a lump form in her throat at the sight of the familiar key, and she forcefully swallowed it down. Memories came, unbidden, into her mind before she had a chance to repel them. Cold, hard stone beneath her, a strong, comforting hand upon her shoulder as she shook in the night, and a voice. A dark voice, so mesmerizing and cold that even now, decades later, it still followed her. Vallen bit down hard on her lip, using the dull pain to make herself focus, and drove the images back to where they came from. Back to the abyss. She'd deal with them later.

She looked around, noticing that barely a second had gone by. The Dwarves stared at the key in curiosity, all except for Thorin. At the sight of the key, his expression transformed into one of surprise and awe.

"How came you by this?" Thorin's voice was low and was almost vulnerable.

"It was given to me by your father. By Thrain," Gandalf explained quietly. Vallen's eyes narrowed at the mention of the name, but said nothing. "It is yours now."

And with that, Gandalf handed the key over to Thorin, who took it with a look of reverence. There was a moment of silence in which the Dwarves seemed to barely breathe as they stared in awe at the small object.

"If there is a key, then there must be a door," the young blonde dwarf, Fili, said aloud, apparently not realizing how obvious his statement was. His brother, Kili, appeared to be of a same mind-set.

"There's another way in!" Kili added, his voice quivering with excitement.

Vallen felt a small twinge of sadness, and perhaps a little anger, in her heart as she watched the two brothers. So excited. So innocent. They were only children. They shouldn't even be on this quest.

Gandalf wasn't so easily roused. "Well, if we can find it, but Dwarf doors are invisible when closed. The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it." He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "But there are others in Middle Earth who can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But, if we are careful, and clever, I believe that it can be done."

Vallen straightened up a little bit, eyes brightening. Maybe now, Gandalf might reveal what he had been planning for so long.

"That's why we need a burglar," the one wearing a knitted cardigan, Ori, said.

Bilbo, who had been watching almost the entire meeting next to Vallen, decided that now would be a good time to add in his two cents. "Hmm, a good one, too. An expert, I'd imagine."

A groan threatened to spill out of Vallen's mouth. The poor Hobbit really had no idea what his words were being mistaken for…

"And are you?" Gloin questioned.

Bilbo blinked a couple times in confusion before replying, "Am I what?"

"He said he's an expert! Heh hey!" someone out of Vallen's line of sight exclaimed. She leaned forward and caught a glimpse of Oin, the partially deaf one. She snorted, but the sound was drowned out by the other dwarves chuckling at Oin's comment.

"M-me?" the poor Hobbit looked positively petrified as he realized what was being implied. "No, no, no, no, no! I'm not a burglar! I've never stolen a thing in my life."

Balin spoke up. "I'd have to agree with Mr. Baggins. He's hardly burglar material." Bilbo nodded very emphatically at that statement.

"Aye, the Wild is no place for gentlefolk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves," commented Dwalin, the big Dwarf who was covered in armor, muscle, tattoos, and scars. At that moment, he turned and gave Vallen a very pointed look. Vallen merely flashed him a blinding grin that didn't reach her eyes, and then turned away and proceeded to ignore him, as well as her annoyance with him. _Idiot._

The other Dwarves did not notice the exchange, and they began to argue amongst themselves. Again. Their voices slowly rose as the seconds went by.

Vallen felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, and she turned to Gandalf in confusion and alarm. Anger colored his elderly features as he watched the arguments. Power hung about him like a dark cloud that sent shivers down Vallen's spine. She was surprised that none of the others had noticed it yet.

"ENOUGH!" Gandalf bellowed, rising to his full height. Vallen winced. Not for the first time, she was reminded of how grateful she was that Gandalf was her friend, and not her enemy. "If I say that Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is!"

The anger in him seemed to evaporate as he continued to speak, listing all the useful qualities of the Hobbit race.

"You asked me to find me to find the fourteenth member of this company, and I have chosen Mr. Baggins. However, during my search, I have come across an old ally of mine. She will serve very well as the fifteenth member. There's a lot more to the both of them than appearances suggest, and they've a lot more to offer than _any_ of you know!" Gandalf glared at all the Dwarves at the table, daring them to contradict him. "Including themselves."

The last comment was more of a mutter, but Vallen felt like it was directed more at Bilbo than at her.

Gandalf turned to Thorin, who was now quietly mulling over Gandalf's words, and he spoke to him in a low and earnest voice. "You must trust me on this." Thorin threw a glance towards Vallen, his grey eyes studying her. She met his gaze with one of her own. Vallen could see that his resolve was crumbling. He relied too much on Gandalf to refuse him completely.

Thorin sighed and met Gandalf's eyes again. "Very well. We'll do it your way. Give the contract to the Hobbit." Thorin hesitated and then sighed again. "And draw up another one for the woman." Vallen felt a small measure of her boredom ebb away. Finally something was happening!

Balin stood up and handed a large roll of parchment to Bilbo, despite his insistent protests. Thorin intercepted the parchment and shoved it into Bilbo's hands

"It's just the usual summary of out-of-pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth," Balin explained calmly as the contract was being handed to Bilbo. He sat down again, pulled out another roll of parchment, and began to write a copy of the contract.

"_Funeral arrangements_?!" Bilbo squeaked. Vallen smiled at his nervousness, and she stood to join him as he read the contract.

"I cannot guarantee their safety." Thorin's voice was barely a whisper, but the sound still found its way to Vallen's ears.

"Understood," Gandalf whispered back.

"Nor will I be responsible for their fates."

There was a moment of hesitation. "Agreed."

Vallen quirked a dark eyebrow at the conversation, but she said nothing and she showed no sign that she had heard the exchange that had occurred behind her back. She tuned back into Bilbo's mumbled listings of the terms that were given him.

"…present company shall not be liable for injuries inflicted by or sustained as a consequence thereof including but not limited to lacerations... evisceration… _incineration_?" Bilbo's voice appeared to be even, but Vallen could hear the slight tremor as he spoke. Once again, she felt pity for the poor Hobbit.

"Oh aye, he'll melt the flesh of your bones in the blink of an eye!" the odd Dwarf with the funny hat, Bofur, interjected cheerfully.

Bilbo had gone deathly pale, a slight twinge of green coloring his features. His heartbeat accelerated drastically, and he looked out of breath. Vallen watched him carefully, silently willing him to get a hold of himself.

"Are you alright, laddie?" Balin asked, not unkindly. Vallen noticed that all the Dwarves were staring intently at Bilbo, waiting to see if he would pass the test.

Bilbo cleared his throat in attempt to regain his composure. "Uh, yeah. Feel a bit faint."

The Dwarf with the hat apparently wasn't done. "Think furnace with wings!"

"Air. I- I- I need air," Bilbo said desperately, leaning forward with his hands on his knees.

Vallen rolled her eyes at the odd Dwarf. "_Please_. Some of us just had dinner," she drawled sardonically.

She was ignored. _Typical_.

"Flash of light, searing pain, and then POOF! You're nothing more than a pile of ash!" Bofur continued just as cheerfully. Either he hadn't heard her or he was ignoring her. Vallen tended to think it was the latter. That would have to be remedied. Vallen hated being ignored when she spoke.

"On the contrary, Master Dwarf, you don't feel anything at all." Vallen could sense Gandalf sending warning glares her direction, but she continued. "In fact, the heat of dragonfire is so immense that the flames don't even need to touch you in order to cook you alive. It's like blowing out a candle. One moment you're alive, and the next you're not."

Vallen paused, tilting her head to the side to adopt a contemplative manner. "It's not a terrible way to die, really."

A loud thump drew Vallen's attention away from the stunned Dwarf. Bilbo Baggins lay unconscious on the floor. Fainted.

"You're very helpful Bofur. You too, Vallen," Gandalf snapped irritably.

Vallen sighed. _Oops._

* * *

**A/N: Four months. Hehehe. Sorry about that. We've been having technical difficulties lately. Kokonoa's laptop had a virus and it crashed, and Faela started school with two AP classes. We'll try to do better.**

**However, we have a little announcement. The two of us are currently developing another fanfiction. This one is set in the Sherlock BBC world. If you guys or girls haven't watched that show, we seriously recommend that you do. It is AMAZING!**

**Anyway, thank you guys so much for the reviews you left us! We love you! Good guesses on what Vallen is. However, we're gonna have to say that she's not an elf or a demon. And Gandalf has probably come across her kind before.**

**We can't say more at the moment, but please feel free to keep guessing. And as always, please, please, please review, and hopefully we'll get our next chapter up soon!**


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